Bangladesh May Link Undersea Cable Through Burma

Cox’sbazar: Bangladesh has plans to connect to the world’s longest undersea cable through Burma to strengthen its backup for internet connectivity, Bangladesh officials were reported disclosing in local media.

A submarine cable arriving in the land of Bangladesh.

The cable is known as SEA-ME-WE 3, for Southeast Asia-Middle East-Western Europe, and it is the longest cable in the world at 39,000 kilometers. The cable is Burma’s only under sea connection in neighboring countries of Bangladesh.

Sunil Kanti Bose, the telecom secretary of Bangladesh, said Bangladesh has no direct scope to be connected with the SEA-ME-WE 3, but it is possible to connect to the cable through Burma.

Bangladesh Submarine Cable Company Ltd. (BSCCL) is going to build about a 50-kilometer fiber optic link from Cox’s Bazar, a town on the border of Bangladesh with Burma, up to the Burmese border. The town of Cox’s Bazar is 50 kilometers from the Burmese border.

“It is to be connected with the SEA-ME-WE 3 [cable],” said Sunil Kanti Bose to the media.

He said the state-run BSCCL has started working with Burmese authorities to get the connectivity.

“Recently, a group of Burmese experts for the cable network came to Bangladesh to discuss the issue with us. We are now exploring the possibility of getting connectivity with Burma through microwave or terrestrial cable links,” he said.

The BSCCL, which is the consortium member of Bangladesh’s lone Bangladesh cable SEA-ME-WE 4, will have to spend $2.75 million to complete the project. The Bangladesh government has also recently approved BSCCL as a consortium member of another new undersea cable system, named SEA-ME-WE 5.

BSCCL managing director, Monwar Hossain, also said Bangladesh will build part of the cable on it’s own side of the border, while other parts will be built by Burma.